Ray Speltzer
Raymond "Ray" Speltzer is a Character in DEXTER. Ray is a psychotic Serial Killer who murders female victims in a grotesque yet unique ritual while wearing a Bullhorned Helmet. He is an extremely violent murderer, compared to other characters such as Travis Marshall and Boyd Fowler who suffered from psychological defects. Ray brutally beats his victims to death with his bare hands and rips the earrings off their corpses to keep as trophies. Summary Ray appears around the time Debra Morgan discovers the truth about her brother, Dexter - that he's a Serial Killer. The two are at odds, with Dexter trying to work his way passed the growing gap between them while Deb refuses to accept what Dexter does. In an attempt to win her favor (and satisfy his need with a worthy kill, as the pressure she's put him in causes him to suffere delusions, in which he imagines killing people near him), he brings out a file on a potential killer named Ray Speltzer. Speltzer is a steroid pumped psychotic that stalks his victims within a handmade maze while wearing a bullhorned helmet, resembling a Minotaur. He then proceeds to brutally beat them to death. His ritual involves shaving all his hair, possibly to fit the bullhorned helmet better. Appearance Ray is a tall Caucasian male with a fit, muscular build. His body is fairly ripped as he exercises daily at a local gym and is in top physical condition. In between rituals, he allows his hair to grow a bit though shaves it bald when ready to kill again. He can be seen wearing sleeveless shirts and jeans as his normal attire, aside from workout clothes and he also has a uniform as a gravedigger working in a cemetery. His kill attire consists of a unique black bullhorned helmet that covers above his mouth and around his skull. His eyes can be seen clearly through the helmet however his nose is covered, though his mouth can be seen. He also wears a dark outfit, similar to a worker's jumpsuit. In addition to the previous helmet, he also has another bullhorned face mask (with the top revealing his cranium) designed in a similar fashion. Strength Speltzer is a very muscular, rather brutish person in top physical condition. He normally relies on brute strength to overpowever his adversaries (as demonstrated during his face-off with Dexter Morgan), and will rarely revert to martial arts or close-quarters combat. From his brief encounter with Dexter, it is shown that Dexter is more skilled in combat than Speltzer (as Dexter was able to elbow him in the back, knock him around the camper, and pinning him to the ground), though Speltzer was able to disorient Dexter by knocking him into the cieling, tossing him across the camper, and knocking him unconscious with a nearby object while on the ground. Knowing this, it is obscure why Ray needs to design a fool-proof maze to kill his female victims if he can outmatch them with ease. Most likely, he created this to draw pleasure and entertainment from the hunt. Personality Ray is a smug yet high-strung man, who has a fascination in stalking and murdering women. According to Debra Morgan, he selects his victims based on how they appear attractively in comparison to his own mother (which she felt he actually wanted to sleep with himself). Like his obsession with working out and taking steroids, his violent tendencies have an unknown origin. Regardless, he uses this strength effectively in hunting down and brutally murdering his victims. He seems to take joy in the hunt, often grinning behind the mask he wears to make himself resemble a Minotaur in his handmade mazes. What brought this inspiration is unclear, however it stands on it's own, as he created a game that he thoroughly enjoyed. He psychologically destroys his female victims, even looking for a challenge as he states that he "likes it when they're strong". This does not work with Dexter, however, who is in complete control and is able to escape from his master-maze, before taking him out soon afterwards. In regards to his victims, he has little to no respect for them as he can be seen at Melanie Garrett's grave smirking and taunting Lieutenant Debra Morgan. Plot In Season Seven Ray appears around the time Debra Morgan discovers the truth about her brother, Dexter - that he's a Serial killer. The two are at odds, with Dexter trying to work his way passed the growing gap between them while Deb refuses to accept what Dexter does. In an attempt to win her favor (and satisfy his need with a worthy kill, as the pressure she's placed on him is causing delusional imagery), he brings out a file on a potential killer named Ray Speltzer. Speltzer is a steroid pumped psychotic that stalks his victims within a handmade maze while wearing a bullhorn helmet, resembling a Minotaur. He then brutally beats them to death, leaving their bloodied bodies behind rather than dispose of them. Dexter views Ray as a perfect kill and for once in his life, brings Debra in on his methods of tracking his victims while trying to locate evidence to be certain. Debra is still opposed to the idea of what he does, however this changes when she becomes more and more suspicious about Ray with her brother's common tinkering with her "lizard brain". Ray lures Melanie Garrett to his home, making it seem like he intends to sleep with her but soon turns the tables by bringing her into his maze. He proceeds to stalk her slowly, while wearing his helmet...following her around his construction. Debra decided earlier that night to swing by his house to keep an eye on Ray, following her hunch. As she's about to leave she takes one last look at the house seeing rapidly flashing lights within the windows, sparking her curiosity. She approaches the house and knocks on the door, before kicking it when she hears loud screams, in search for Ray and his potential victim. She eventually encounters Ray, who knocks her down along with her gun (which slides under some barbed wire, which she injures her arm under). Ray stands above her, ready to take her life, only for Dexter to arrive from behind and seemingly knock him out with a plank. Debra tells him to search for Melanie and they find her dead, a victim brutally beaten by Speltzer. Ray uses this time to escape and quickly takes off in his car... Arrest and Release Debra and Miami Metro Homicide are informed that Speltzer was arrested after it took several officers to take him down. Sergeant Angel Batista initially speaks with Ray in the interrogation room, trying to ease him up before Debra comes in to turn the tables. Once she arrives, she exploits Ray by accurately reading his reason for the murders - his mother. After she hints at a possible sexual infatuation from Ray towards his mother, he stands up, confessing to the murder of Melanie, while also wishing that he killed Debra when he had the chance. Debra smirks as she leaves, feeling that they've won. A DVD later shows however (recorded via a police officer's dashcam), that the officers who made the arrest on Speltzer brutally beat him before forcing him to "accept his rights", which based on the evidence in the video tape, he did not do verbally (though Detective Joey Quinn claims that he nodded in acceptance). With that said, the confession was thrown out the window and the judge let him walk. Debra's pure frustration from this moment builds, forcing her to walk out. Dexter and the Minotaur Dexter decides it's time to take down Speltzer, first examining his RV (which had been impounded but was released following the confession being thrown out) to turn it into a suitable (and portable) kill room, then finding Speltzer's trophies. However, what he did not expect to find was Speltzer returning to his camper early. Before Dexter could react, Speltzer tackled him, overpowering him rather quickly, i.e. throwing him around the camper (even into the ceiling). Although Dexter was able to use his Jiu-Jitsu techniques to knock Speltzer down twice, Speltzer knocked Dexter out using a hard object close by, while down. Dexter awakens in an abandoned building, with it being heavily constructed into a maze like his own house was before. Dexter notices an envelope tied to the grating with a letter that simply says "Run", before a light pops on that catches Dexter by surprise. He moves down the hallway a bit, turning to see Speltzer calmly walk out with his bullhorned helmet on while carrying an ax. Dexter realizes that pitted against a psychopath with an ax, his chances of survival are better if he runs, so he moves swiftly through the maze...remaining a step ahead of his pursuer. After displaying some of his athletic abilities by climbing down some elevator cables, Dexter comes across an obscure room filled with mannequins and strobe lights to impair the senses. He moves slowly through the lifeless bodies, finding a nearby poll to use as a weapon when he spots what he believes to be Ray standing in the distance. He approaches slowly with weapon in hand ready to strike what is only a mannequin wearing the bullhorned helmet, and instinctively dodges out of the way before being nearly struck from behind with the ax. Dexter knocks down Speltzer and pins him, saying that he could really use a shower, before Ray smirks and tosses him off (seemingly enjoying the hunt). Before Dexter can locate him, Ray runs off again and Dexter moves deeper into the maze. When Dexter ends up on another stairwell, he looks to see the next floor down and figures that Ray is trying to get him deeper and deeper into the maze. Rather than risk his life falling for this trap, Dexter decides to go up instead (breaking free some pallets used to block off the top of the stairwell). He makes it out onto the roof, with Ray following close behind and then jumps down to a roof below, escaping on a truck as he makes his way to the street. Threat and Capture At Melanie Garrett's funeral, Debra Morgan can be seen attending, along with Angel Batista. As she's about to leave, she notices Speltzer standing calmly with a smug look on his face in the distance, and charges in his direction. Her rage takes the better of her as he insults her and taunts her. Debra later talks to her brother, becoming more and more distraught over the failure in the system, capturing this cold-blooded murderer and him disgracing Melanie by appearing at her funeral, smiling as her coffin is driven away. She says that in her rage, she wanted to kill him, only to think about what her brother is and feels that he's trying to make a point here about all of this that everyone wants someone dead. She sits there, thinking to herself...asking if it will ever get easier. After the two share some final words, she leaves the door open for him to leave. Dexter later arrives at the Cemetery that night, exposing himself to lure Ray closer into a trap. At an open grave, he leaves a note that says "Stay" which while reading distracts him long enough for Dexter to sneak up behind and strike him in the back of the head with a shovel (which breaks into the form of a stake, which is later used to kill Speltzer), forcing him to fall into the pit. He drags Ray into the Morgue, tying him down to a table (that leads directly into the cremation vault). As Ray wakes up, he struggles violently to escape, while Dexter explains his situation with Deb and how Ray was important in trying to bring them closer together after splitting so far apart. After turning the fires of the cremation vault on, as if ready to kill him with the flames, Ray screams over and over about how he's going to kill Dexter. He jokingly mocks Ray, eventually using the stake he had in hand to pierce his heart and kill him. With his Dark Passenger pleased, Dexter turns to something else he wishes to dispose of - the Blood Slide Box. Feeling that he needs to move on from them, Dexter places the box on Speltzer's body, sending it to the cremation vault with his latest victim, where both are burned to ash. Outside, Dexter meets with his sister, whom he reveals the truth to - that he just killed Speltzer. She asks if he did it for her and he says no, to where she watches the smoke with a look of awe. He asks how that made her feel and she says that she is glad, before asking what that makes her. Dexter simply says "human". Victims *'Ann Faig' *'Nina Fleischer' *'Melanie Garrett' Attempted Victims *[[Debra Morgan|'Debra Morgan']] *'Dexter Morgan' Trivia *Ray shares (at least on one occasion) a theme used by another killer, specifically the unique theme belonging to The Trinity Killer. The music is played in Episode 703: Buck the System as Dexter realizes Debra's heading into Ray's house and is in danger. *His birthdate is 3/16/1980 and he lives at 140 Everglade Court, Miami FL 33168Episode 703: Buck the System, while Dexter is looking through his files. *Although not proven it is likely his inspiration for his killing spree is connected to the Greek story of Theseus and the Minotaur because of the bullhorn, maze, and sacrifices made in the story. Moreover in late 1800 serial killer Henry Holmes built his own maze with the worst part at bottom. Similarly, Speltzer wanted to lead Dexter to the bottom. *It is Ray Speltzer combined with the problems with his sister that Dexter chooses not to take a blood slide of his victim. In fact, he places the current bloodslide box he had kept on Speltzer's body and sends it into the cremation vault where it is burned to ash along with all slides within. *Dexter questions whether or not the maze Ray brought him to was his masterpiece. It was an elaborately constructed layout throughout a large building, forcing Dexter into a maze with little options other than forcing his own shortcuts. It seems that Ray intended for Dexter to go deeper and deeper, down a floor each time however before reaching the second floor he instead does the opposite and goes out, thus escaping the maze. It's unknown what traps he had laying in wait in the floors below. References es:Ray Speltzer Category:Characters Category:Serial killers Category:Season 7 characters Category:Secondary antagonists Category:Characters who tried to kill Debra Category:Deceased Category:Characters killed by Dexter Category:Characters who tried to kill Dexter Category:Attempted Victims Category:Dexter's Attempted Victims Category:Dexter's Later Successes Category:Recurring characters Category:No blood taken Category:Close range killers Category:Characters killed at close range